Unskilled workers still dominate manpower exports

Unskilled migrants continue to dominate the manpower export in the country despite an overall decline in the sector.

Experts have attributed this negative trend to a lack of vocational education and language skills, among other limitations.

The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) has categorised migrant workers into four skill levels: professionals, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers.

Doctors, engineers, architects, teachers, accountants, computer operators, pharmacists, nurses, foremen, diploma engineers, paramedics and salespeople are considered professionals.

Mechanics, welders, porters, electricians, painters, cooks, drivers, plumbers, garment workers and certified caregivers are considered skilled workers.

On the other hand, farmers, gardeners and those working as assistant in garments and shops are considered semi-skilled workers.

Finally cleaners, domestic workers and menial workers are considered unskilled workers.

Bangladesh primarily participates in the semi-skilled and unskilled labour market. In 2024, 4.59 percent of those who migrated abroad for work were professionals, 23.62 percent were skilled, 17.56 percent were semi-skilled and 54.23 percent were unskilled.

Mohammad Shaheen, joint secretary at the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, said that there are some worries about low-skilled manpower export.

He admitted that the trend of sending unskilled manpower has its impact. He highlighted the government initiatives like establishing training centres to improve the situation.

He also laid stress on changing mindset of people who intend to migrate for employment in developed countries.

A report by the Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) based on government data showed that the labour market for Bangladeshi workers shrank in 2024 compared to the previous year.

From January to November 2024, 906,000 men and women migrated for work, down from 1.3 million in 2023, which means a 30.8 percent decrease in migration, said the RMMRU report.

Closure of labour markets in countries like Malaysia, the Maldives, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) significantly contributed to the decreasing trend, which also led to a rise in sending unskilled workers. In 2024, the rate of unskilled worker migration rose by at least 4 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Migration expert Mohammad Jalal Uddin Sikder, also a teacher at North South University (NSU), said that even if the government arranges training, it would hardly change the situation until there is a major shift towards vocational education.

Most of the middle-income families prioritise conventional education for their children, but it is necessary to focus on vocational education to catch the market for skilled manpower, he said.

He also highlighted language barriers as a critical issue, suggesting that a broader societal change is necessary. The Bangladeshi education system should incorporate at least two or three additional foreign languages, commonly used in other countries, into its curricula.

"This (learning foreign languages) is required to catch the market of skilled manpower. And, the government should introduce it in formal education curricula. We see in EU countries children learn at least three languages," he said, adding that training and skills are needed to develop a certain market.

About sending professionals, he noted that the process is far more complex than for regular migrant workers, as it involves long-duration examinations and complex procedures.

Therefore, experts suggest G-2-G agreements to send professionals, Mr. Sikder said.

"We need to have bilateral agreement and cooperation to send professionals like doctors and engineers," he added.